Price indicator



March 6, 1934. w. E. SHOEMAKER 1,949,656

' PRICE INDICATOR Filed Jan. 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z0 INVENTOR MY/Mm E 5/l0ema/rer ATTORNEY March 6, 1934. w. E. SHOEMAKER PRICE INDICATOR Filed Jan. 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 u r L INVENTOR M/m/ E. S/zomaker ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC PRICE INDICATOR a corporation of Maine Application January 4, 1934, Serial No. 705,199

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in devices adapted for indicating or displaying the price of articles or merchandise that are subjected to frequent and extensive price fluctuations. The improved price indicator of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in displaying the price of merchandise such as gasoline or similar articles which are heavily taxed and where it is desirable, and in some localities required by law, that the total unit price 'both exclusive and inclusive of the tax, be prominently displayed wherever such merchandise. is sold or dispensed.

In such devices, because of the fact that'the tax as well as the unit price is subject to variation, an enormous variety of different numerical combinations are required to cover the normal working range. Further, such devices are frequently handled by unskilled and careless opera- ?9 tors and are so displayed as to be subjected to all kinds of weather conditions. It is an object of the present invention to provide a price indicator which is sufficiently flexible to provide for the enormous variety of different numerical combinations which are required to cover the normal working range and which employs a minimum number of pieces that might be lost, destroyed or mislaid, but which at the same time is of simple, cheap and rugged construction.

The invention will be readily understood from the description of the device illustrated in the drawings which shows one form of price indicator embodying the invention. However, it will be understood that this illustration is given merely as an exemplification of the invention and that the invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. l is an elevation of a supporting member adapted to receive and hold a sign assembly such as is shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the supporting member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the supporting member shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a sign assembly adapted to be inserted in the supporting member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the sign assembly shown in Fig. 4 taken along line 5-5;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the frame member of the sign assembly shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is an elevation showing the sign assembly illustrated in Fig. 4 inserted in the supporting member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the assembly shown in Fig. 7 taken along line 8-8;

Fig. .9 is an isometric fragmentary view 01' a price indicating unit consisting of a backing member and a plurality of display strips attached thereto, some of the display strips being omitted to avoid confusion;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary elevation showing in detail one suitable method for connecting the display strips to the backing member;

Fig. 11 is a sectional plan view of the detail shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an isometric elevation showing the arrangement of one of the folded total indicating sheets; and

Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing in detail one desirable construction of one of the folding display strips.

The sign assembly shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 consists of a frame member 1, a plurality of display units illustrated at 2, 3 and 4, and a pair of transparent panels shown at 5,. The main portion of the frame member is formed from two sides plates 6 and 7, the end portions of which are bent to form flanges perpendicular, to the side plates as shown at 9 and 10. A pair of these side plates are fitted together with the bent end portions overlapping and the flanged end portions suitably secured, for example, as by spot welding, so as to form a tubular member of rectangular cross section. The side plates extend beyond the tubular section along the major portion of the length of both the upper and lower edges and these extended portions are bent over as shown at 11 and 12 to form upper and lower retaining channels.

Each of the upper retaining channels is of such width as is necessary to accommodate the thickness of one of the transparent panels 5 in addition to the thickness of the display units. At the lower end the extended portion is first broken to form a longitudinal ledge, as shown in section in Fig. 5 at 13, and the portion extending beyond the ledge 13 is then bent to form a channel as shown at 12. The width of the ledge 13 is approximately the same, and preferably slightly less than, the thickness of the display units, while the interior width of each of the lower channels 12 is approximately the same as, and preferably slightly greater than, the thickness of the transparent panels 5. With this arrangement the outside flanges of the channels 11 and 12 will firmly hold the transparent panel against the face of the display units, which in turn are. firmly held against the face of the frame plates. The

ledge 13 supplies a vertical support for the display units. The upper outside edges 14 of the flanges of the channels 12, terminate below the ledges 13 so that any water running down the outside faces of the transparent panels 5 cannot reach the lower extremities of the display units. In ,order to assist drainage a plurality of holes 15 are advantageously provided in the web portions of the channels 12.

Near the lower edge of the tubular section of the frame a row of inwardly extending tongues 16 may be provided by cutting the tongue shaped outlines in one of the plate members as shown at 17 and bending the tongues'perpendicular to the face of the plate. This row of tongue members 16 forms a perforate partition or bottom near the lower end of the tubular member so that the interior of the frame may be used as a tray to accommodate additional display units. If desired similar inwardly extending tongues may be cut from both of the sides plates at alternately spaced positions so as to form a substantially complete bottom for the tray. In a similar manner a vertical row of outwardly extending tongue shaped projections may be provided as shown at 18 to furnish stops against which the display units and transparent panels strike when moved longitudinally along the channels 11 and 12. The position and location of these stops may be arranged so as to position the characters of the display units in the desired relationship with respect to the perimeter of the frame assembly.

At one end of the frame assembly a vertical end plate 19 is secured to the overlapping ends of the side plates 6 and '7, as for example, by spot welding. Throughout the major portion of its length the end plate 19 is of channel shaped cross section as shown in Fig. 6. The flanges 20 of the channel shaped portion are relatively deep and extend beyond the stops 18 to the extremity of the longitudinal channels 11 and 12. Along their outer edges, the flanges of the channel shaped portion of the end plate are turned inwardly as shown at 21 to a point so that the distance between the outer edges of the flanges is equal to the distance between the outer sur-- faces of the transparent panels 5 in the assembled sign.

The web portion of the end plate 19 extends above and below the channel shaped portion. The lower extended portion of the web is bent perpendicular to the principal axis of the channel'shaped portion and forms a flange 22, the lower surface of which is aligned with the lower surface of the channels 12. The web portion of the plate 19 which extends above the channel shaped portion of the plate 19 is similarly bent to form a perpendicular flange as shown at 23. This flange is advantageously positioned well above the upper surface of the channels 11. The distance between the outer face of the flange 22 and the outer face of the flange 23 advantageously is made equal to the distance between the inwardly facing surfaces of the web portions of the supporting member.

An upwardly extending tongue-like section may advantageously be cut in the web portion of the end plate 19 near its upper extremity. This tongue-like section advantageously is positioned symmetrically with respect to the vertical axis of the web of the end plate 19, and in the device illustrated in the drawings it is positioned vertically so that the juncture of the tongue with the web proper is below the juncture of the web proper with the flange 23. The tongue member extends substantially above the juncture of the flange 23 with the web proper andis bent first outwardly in a direction opposite to the flange 23 and then inwardly at a distance above the flange 23 equal to the thickness of the web of the upper horizontal portion of the supporting member thereby forming a second flange as shown at 24. With this arrangement the flange 24 overlies the end of the supporting member and may carry a portion of the weight of the sign assembly.

The support shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a U-shaped member 25 of channel shaped cross section and a pair of supporting plates 26 attached to the base portion of the U-shaped member in any suitable manner as, for example, by spot welding. For structural convenience the U- shaped supporting member may be fabricated from pairs of L-shaped elements 27 and 28. A

pair of these L-shaped elements may be placedtogether with their outer faces overlapping to form a channel shaped section, and the overlapping faces united in any suitable manner as by spot welding. The supporting plates 26 are attached to the upper and lower sections of the supporting member so as to rigidly secure them together and in proper alignment.

Throughout the vertical portion of the U- shaped supporting member and throughout the major part of the lengths of the upper and lower horizontal portions of the U-shaped supporting member the relatively wide side flanges are turned inwardly, as shown at 29, to an extent such that the distance between the inner edges of opposite flanges is equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the transparent panels 5 of the sign assembly. The width of these side flanges is such that the inturned edges will extend over the channels 11 and 12 of the sign assembly and contact with the transparent panels 5 as shown in Fig. 8.

Near the outer extremities of the horizontal portions of the U-shaped supporting member portions of the flanges are cut away, as shown'at 3D and 31, for a distance equal to the distance between the inturned edges 21 and the outer surface of the web proper of the end plate 19. The lower edges of the cut-away portion of the flanges on the upper section of the supporting member are turned outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2 at 30, so as to deflect water over the upper edge of the side flanges of the end plate 19. Similarly, the side flanges of the end plate member 19 are advantageously turned outwardly along their lower edges, as shown in Fig. 4 at 32, so as to deflect water over the upper edges 31 of the cut-away portions of the flanges on the lower section of the supporting member.

In the bottom or web portion of the lower horizontal arm of the supporting member, a plurality of apertures 33 are provided. These apertures advantageously are positioned so as to register with the apertures 15 in the channel shaped portions 12 of the sign assembly. These apertures provide for drainage and assist ventilation of the sign assembly when it is held within the supporting member.

The sign assembly may be secured within the supporting member in any suitable manner, for example, by a latch member 34 supported on a pivot 35 extending between the supporting plates 26. The inner extremity of the latch member extends through an aperture 36 in the web portion of the supporting member and a registering aperture 3'7 in the frame member of the sign assembly, and engages the lower edge of the aperture 37 so as to prevent the removal of the sign assembly excepting when the latch is disengaged. V

In the sign assembly various forms of price indicating units may be interposed between the transparent panels and the faces of the frame member. Legends which are relatively permanent and which therefore do not require frequent alterations advantageously may be printed on a single card such as the price indicating unit 2. Numerical price combinations, the individual members of which frequently fluctuate independently and over wide ranges, advantageously may be indicated by a variable price indicating unit such as that illustrated in Fig. 9. This price indicating unit consists of a backing member 38 and a plurality of price indicating strips 39. The price indicating strips are folded at spaced points to form a series of panels each of which bears.

on each of its faces a single character digit or fraction. Each price indicating strip is attached at one end to the backing strip and includes near its attached end a panel of one half the width of the character bearing panels as shown at 40. With this arrangement the indicating strips are foldable in either direction so as to bring the character bearing panels into superimposed matching relation with any desired character exposed to view.

In order to expose some of the characters nearest the attached end of the indicating strip, it is necessary to fold underneath some of the panels farthest from the attached end of the indicating strip. Accordingly, it is desirable that each successive character bearing panel (or each unit comprising a panel and adjoining flexible intermediate section) progressing in the direction of the unattached end of the indicating strip, should be of slightly less width than the preceding panel. The difference in width of the successive panels to accomplish this purpose need not be greater than the thickness of the display strip. The indicating strips may be formed from heavy paper, or, as shown in Fig. 13, they may be formed with fabric base 41 with flat rigid panels 42 of any suitable material mounted on each side.

The end of the indicating strips may be attached to the backing member in any desired manner. One advantageous method, wherein the width of the indicating strip is reduced near its attached end and inserted through a slot in the backing member, is illustrated in detail in Figs. 11 and 12. The end of the indicating strip which is inserted through the slot in the backing member, in the arrangement shown, is bent over and cemented or otherwise attached to the rear surface of the backing member. The indicating strips advantageously are mounted so that the folds will be positioned vertically and will define panels of less width than depth. With this arrangement the indicating strips will be shorter for any given number of panels. The shorter indicating strips can be handled with much greater ease, and the vertical folds furnish substantial vertical support which could not be obtained if the strip were to be mounted with the folds arranged horizontally.

In the indicating unit shown in Fig. 9 only three indicating strips, mounted in a vertical row, are shown as being attached to the backing member. However, any number of indicating strips may be mounted in each horizontal row as well as in each vertical row on a. single ly and horizontally in the proper alignment by 7 each other, the lower supporting ledge and the adjoining indicating units. Where an indicating unit of the type illustrated in Fig. 9 is to be used to display two or more component parts of a given unit price as well as a total unit price, a total-bar extending entirely across the indicating unit as shown at 43 may be provided by placing a mark of the desired width across the lower end of each of the panels of each of the display strips in the next to the lower horizontal row. Such a mark may if desired be indicated on the face of the panels in the same manner that the price indicating characters are indicated thereon.

Legends, or prices, groups of which are subject to frequent fluctuations but in which the individual members of a group are fixed with respect to each other advantageously may be indicated by the type of variable price indicating unit shown in Fig. 12. This type of indicating unit consists of a single strip folded at spaced points to form a plurality of panels the height of which is equal to the overall height of the variable price indicating unit as shown in Fig. 9. This type of indicating unit is particularly adapted for indicating the total prices for various numbers of units, the unit price of which is indicated by the type of display unit shown in Fig. 9. The type of display unit shown in Fig. 12 may for example contain 5 panels providing ten faces each face bearing in tabular form a list of the prices of from one to twenty units. corresponding to an even unit price or the same even unit price and the various fractions ranging between that even unit price and the next higher unit price.

Additional indicating strips of this type advantageously may be stored in the interior portion of the sign assembly between the frame side plates. With the perforate bottom formed by the tongues 16, positioned above the ledge 13, such stored indicating strips will extend slightly above the tubular portion of the sign assembly so that they can be conveniently withdrawn therefrom.

The entire sign assembly may be removed from the supporting member merely by raising the latch 34 and withdrawing the signassembly by sliding it horizontally in the direction of the open end of the U-shaped supporting member. In order to alter the unit prices it is then only necessary to slide the transparent panels 5 in a direction away from the end plate 19 until the indicating units which one desires to change are uncovered. When the desired alteration is made and the transparent panels are moved back against the stops 18 the indicating units displaying the desired prices will be flrmly held.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a frame having two relatively large opposite faces, a pair of transparent panels of approximately the same size as said faces, means attached to said frame near the edge of each of said faces engaging the edges of one of said transparent panels, a price indicating member interposed between each of the said opposed faces of said frame and one of said transparent panels comprising a plurality of strips each transversely folded at spaced points to provide a plurality of panels bearing price indicating characters on each side thereof, said strips being unattached to the frame and removable therefrom, means near the lower edge of said frame for vertically supporting the lower edges of said price indicating members above upper extremities of the means engaging the lower edges of the transparent panels.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a backing member and a plurality of indicating strips each having transverse folds at spaced points to form a plurality of panels each having price marking characters thereon, said panels being foldable in either direction upon transverse folds into superimposed matching relation, said strips being attached at one end to said backing member in horizontal and vertical rows spaced at distances equal to the width and height of said panels respectively, a frame having an outwardly extending ledge horizontally positioned near the lower edge of one face thereof adapted for vertically supporting said packing member, a transparent panel at least as wide and as high respectively as the overall width and height respectively of the horizontal and vertical rows of folded indicating strips, and means, near the edges of the face of said frame, engaging the outer edges of said transparent panel and holding it firmly against the outer faces of the folded indicating strips when said backing member and the attached folded indicating strips are interposed between said transparent panel and the faces of said frame.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a sign assembly comprising a frame having a pair of parallel retaining channels along opposite edges of each of two opposite faces, each pair of retaining channels engaging the edges of a trans arent panel, a removable price indicating uni compressibly held between each panel and the corresponding face of the frame, in combination with a supporting member comprising a pair of parallel supporting channels spaced to permit insertion of said sign assembly between the web portions of the supporting channels, the inwardly directed flanges of the supporting channels being of sufficient width to extend over the engaging channels along the edges of said frame, the edge of each of the supporting channels farthest from the web being bent inwardly to an extent such that the distance between the edges of the flanges of each supporting channel is equal to the distance between the outer surface of the transparent panels of the said sign assembly.

' 4. In apparatus of the class described, a sign assembly comprising a pair of transparent panels, a frame member having a pair of parallel retaining channels along opposite edges of each of two opposite faces each pair of retaining channels engaging the edges of one of said transparent panels, an end plate having side flanges extending over the adjacent edges of said transparent panels, the edges of said side flanges being turned inwardly to an extent such that the distance between said edges is equal to the distance between the outer faces of the transparent panels in said sign assembly, and a variable price indicating unit interposed between each of said opposite faces of said frame member and one of the transparent panels, in combination with a supporting member of channel shaped cross section arranged in the form of a U with side flanges inwardly extending from an outwardly disposed web, the parallel arms of the supporting member being spaced apart to permit insertion of said sign assembly between their outer web portions and the side flanges of said support being bent inwardly along their edges to an extent such that the distance between the inwardly turned edges of opposite flanges is equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the transparent panels in said sign assembly.

WILLIAM E. SHOEMAKER.

IOU 

